Peter Block Flawless Consulting: A Guide To Getting Your Expertise Used, Second Edition

Chapter 5. The Contracting Meeting

THERE IS AN OLD David Steinberg joke about the person showing up for his first meeting with his psychiatrist. He walks in the office and is faced with the choice of two chairs to sit in. He turns to the psychiatrist and says, "Which chair should I sit in?" The psychiatrist says, "Either one." The person sits in one. The psychiatrist jumps up, points an accusing finger at him and shouts, "AHA! EVERYTHING COUNTS!"

So it is with contracting. Almost every event and action carries with it a message about what this project and what this client is going to be like.

The personal interaction between the consultant and the client during the initial contracting meetings is an accurate predictor of how the project itself ...